Suspect in airport theft case faces gun charge
Prosecutors filed a new criminal complaint Friday adding a felony gun possession charge against one of the three airport technicians accused of stealing electronic gear.
Matthew Charniga, 39, who has a voluntary manslaughter conviction, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The weapon, a .22-caliber revolver, was seized during a Feb. 4 police raid at Charniga’s 6484 High Sierra Ave. home.
Detectives continue to investigate Charniga’s quick release from the Clark County Detention Center on his own recognizance a couple of hours before they obtained a search warrant for his home.
Charniga and his co-defendants, Joseph Cordova and Chad Norton, both 34, were arrested at McCarran International Airport on Feb. 3.
All three technicians, who installed and repaired surveillance cameras at the county-run airport, have retained high-profile defense attorneys.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento, who is handling the case, has said he had nothing to do with setting Charniga free.
Prosecutors have complained that they never had a chance to argue for bail.
All three defendants face burglary, theft and conspiracy charges in the new eight-count complaint, and police suspect the trio also may have sabotaged a camera on the airport grounds.
Charniga and Cordova have been fired from their jobs amid the criminal investigation.
Norton, their supervisor, is on paid administrative leave.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.